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The soles of his shoes squeaked against the floor as Caden spun around to face her. “Hold up, did the
y do something to you?”
“They wish,” Maggie snorted.
As brothers, all stairstepped in age, there’d been fights between them, in and out of schools. And the Archibald boys gave each and every one of the teachers a run for their money. The other boys might have been older than Caden, but he went toe to toe with them each time.
Today was no different than any other. Jason made a leap toward Caden. Heath pushed Caden into Chase and prepared to square up with Jason. EJ, of course, broke up the scuffle with a loud whistle.
“You guys cut it out,” EJ barked. “Mama’s got a lot of people lurking around.”
“Get your brothers,” Caden warned before taking hold of Maggie’s hand once more. One way or another, he was getting some damn answers.
* * *
The phone call Maggie had eavesdropped on last night had gotten her blood boiling. She’d feigned an illness and gone to bed. She never expected Caden to spend the night, not even on the couch. But he did, and she had to pull out her old bag of tricks to blow him off. Fortunately for her, after setting up the hologram, Maggie knew exactly where to find Auntie Bren this morning. It took a few phone calls, and by dawn’s early light they were on their way to Savannah. Auntie Bren filled the car ride with the dos and don’ts while at the Archibalds’. What Maggie knew of the family was very little other than Auntie Bren’s warning that if the Swaynes and the Hairstons were royalty in Southwood, the Archibalds were the kings and queens around here.
Despite the royal reputation, this generation of Archibalds behaved like cannibals in the foyer of their home. Maggie teetered in her heels into what seemed like a library off to the right of the entryway and immediately let out a sigh of relief. In high-testosterone arguments such as the one Caden and his brothers just had, she knew it was best to stay quiet. But it killed her to keep quiet.
Family portraits rested on the marble mantel framing the massive fireplace. While all five of the Archibald men favored each other in looks, Maggie picked out Caden immediately. She hadn’t known he was the baby of the family, but the photo of him on Kit’s lap was unmistakable. If she weren’t mad as hell right now, she might just coo.
“What’s going on, Maggie?” Caden asked, catching his breath. “Why are you here?”
“Same as you,” she answered with a shrug. “If Kit is planning on retiring—and my auntie Bren is sure about it—I want her to know I’m interested.”
“Cute.” Caden clasped his hands behind his back and paced the length of the floor.
Maggie took a moment to admire the crown molding rather than his backside. She needed to remind herself that Caden was the enemy—although not as bad as Chase and Jason. On the other hand, at least the others hadn’t seduced Maggie at any point. They wouldn’t understand the art of talking to a woman.
“The pageant isn’t a joke, Maggie.” Caden stopped pacing long enough to face her. “We don’t even know if Kit’s going to retire.”
Maggie folded her arms across her chest and cocked her left eyebrow. “Do I hear a wager?”
“I’m not wagering on my mother’s retirement.”
“Oh,” she snorted, “so what about the ride at the fair?”
“That was to get you to have dinner with me,” Caden said with a wink before he started pacing again.
The skip in her heart confused her. Why should her libido kick in from his charm? She focused on the mantel of photos. Caden was a sports fanatic, something she hadn’t realized the first time they hooked up. He’d just been hot and she’d been fast. “Why would you want to run the pageant? You don’t even work with women.”
“I’m still a better choice than my brothers.”
Maggie nodded in agreement. “I can’t deny that.”
Caden turned to face her again. “So on your good authority, do you think Kit will retire today?”
In truth, Maggie had no idea. She shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t say. When did you get the feeling she was going to retire?”
“My partner, Kofi, put it together when Kit called us for a conference last week. She gave assignments for people to bring to her fiftieth pageant.”
A flash of panic froze Maggie’s veins. “Does she know about us?”
“No,” he answered. Caden’s lips flattened and seriousness filled his dark eyes.
“So she just randomly chose you to ask me?”
“Well,” Caden admitted with his signature devilish smile returning.
